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Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht
Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht is a role-playing game for the PlayStation 2 and the first title in the Xenosaga series, developed by Monolith Soft and published by Namco. It spawned two sequels, an anime, spin-offs, and more. Der Wille zur Macht, German for "The Will To Power", is a reference to Nietzsche's concept of the main driving force in humans — namely, achievement, ambition, and the striving to reach the highest possible position in life. Xenosaga is a futuristic sequel to the Bible, set at least 6000 years after it. Three of the main characters (Shion Uzuki, KOS-MOS and chaos) are followers of Jesus Christ who clash with Ormus. Episode I mainly serves to introduce the Xenosaga universe and characters. Episode II and Episode III must be played in order to comprehend the entire story. (Xenosaga Episode I Walkthrough here) Plot In Lake Turkana, Kenya, Africa, 20xx CE, during an archaeological excavation, T. Masuda and his team uncover an altar, where Masuda placed a Zohar Replica, causing a giant yellow rectangular object called the Zohar to rise from the lake's depths. The Zohar discovered by Masuda was transferred to Vector Industries's labs in Toronto, Canada, where various examinations and experiments were performed upon it. These experiments eventually lead to the human race abandoning Earth and the planet's disappearance sometime after the year T.C. 0016, when the Immigrant Fleet is launched in a first, successful attempt of human settlement in the greater galaxy. The Zohar vanished with Earth and was not rediscovered for a long time. Afterwards, the game is warped 4000 years into the year 4767 T.C., which is approximately between 6000-7277 A.D. Because of Grimoire Verum, humanity has long left planet Earth 4000 years ago, which has been renamed "Lost Jerusalem" and erased from star maps, the way to it no longer known. Humanity has colonized 500,000 planets in the galaxy. The original Zohar substance has been proven to be too dangerous, and was sealed on the planet Miltia (called "Old Miltia" during the game) 14 years ago, most humans resorting to use less powerful device called "Zohar Emulators" instead. However, the devastating Miltian Conflict which occurred 14 years ago locked away Miltia and the Zohar into the Abyss. Some organizations still want to re-discover the true Zohar, believing it to be the path to Lost Jerusalem. Meanwhile, a new race of hostile aliens known as Gnosis has emerged since the Miltian Conflict and have been killing humans relentlessly, pushing humanity on the verge of extinction. Vector decides to develop a blue-haired female android called KOS-MOS to be the ultimate weapon against the Gnosis. In addition, Vector is developing an artificial race of humans called Realians meant to act as weapons against the Gnosis. Unfortunately for Vector, the original developer of KOS-MOS, Kevin Winnicot, was killed in an accident two years prior to the game, leaving his fiancée and co-worker, Shion Uzuki, to lead and finish the KOS-MOS project. The Galaxy Federation starship Woglinde houses both the KOS-MOS development project and a Zohar Emulator, which was discovered in the wake of the vanished planet Ariadne. The Woglinde is currently on its way to investigate the missing Ariadne. Vector's KOS-MOS team is deployed on the Woglinde in case of a Gnosis attack. Shion proceeds with a test experiment on KOS-MOS, which includes a brief appearance of a young girl (Nephilim Verum). Nephilim encounters Shion again while she investigates the Zohar Emulator. After having completed KOS-MOS, Shion and her team are attacked by the Gnosis. The Woglinde is attacked by a group of Gnosis, who are lusting after the Emulator. This attack is partly orchestrated by U-TIC Organization operatives Vanderkam and Andrew Cherenkov, who wish to acquire the Emulator for their boss, Margulis. During the attack, KOS-MOS is activated suddenly, the Gnosis escape with the Emulator, both Shion and Cherenkov are touched by the Gnosis, and the U-TIC operatives escape (sans Cherenkov). Federation Lieutenant Luis Virgil is shot and killed by KOS-MOS; this, according to her, was necessary due to the fact that it would increase her ability to protect Shion from Gnosis. Many lives on the Woglinde are lost during the massacre. Through a series of events, Shion becomes the target of the terrorist U-TIC Organization and other mysterious figures, whose goal seems to be the secret path to Old Miltia. Other characters become involved in the conflict, and eventually Shion realizes that she is not alone in her struggle, and that the initial Gnosis attack was but a small part of a complex, multi-layered conspiracy. After the Woglinde is destroyed, Shion, Cherenkov, Allen Ridgeley (Shion's co-worker), and KOS-MOS are rescued by the Elsa starship, which was investigating the ruins of the starship from the Kukai Foundation. On the Elsa, the group encounters a mysterious boy, chaos, before asking Captain Matthews to escort them to Second Miltia. Meanwhile, Margulis explains the significance of U-TIC's plan to recover the Original Zohar from Old Miltia. Immediately thereafter, Vector's CEO, Wilhelm, is shown ordering the Red Testament to "gather the necessary factors." Cyborg Ziggurat 8 is assigned by the S.O.C.E. founder Juli Mizrahi to rescue the 100-Series Realian prototype, MOMO Mizrahi, who was kidnapped by the U-TIC Organization, as they wanted the Y-Data that she carries inside of her; the Y-Data being a mysterious piece of data that contains the steps to finding the Original Zohar on Old Miltia, among other information. The S.O.C.E. then orders Ziggurat 8 to bring MOMO to Second Miltia for testing of the Y-Data. Ziggy reaches the U-TIC headquarters, Pleroma, and rescues MOMO, fighting U-TIC leader Margulis on his way out. However, the duo is chased by U-TIC operatives in hyperspace until they encounters the Elsa. The two parties meet, defeat the pursuing U-TIC forces, and decide to join together on their journey to Second Miltia. During this incident, the never-aging U.R.T.V. unit Gaignun Kukai, Jr. is attacked by a U-TIC battleship while investigating the Woglinde for any signs of the Zohar Emulator. Jr. escapes the U-TIC battleship with a significant amount of U-TIC information. After stopping at Dock Colony, the ''Elsa runs into the Cathedral Ship, a planet-sized Gnosis created from the disappeared planet Ariadne and made complete with the Zohar Emulator stolen from the Woglinde. While escaping the Cathedral Ship, Cherenkov mutates into a Gnosis and dies. The Elsa is attacked by Gnosis and KOS-MOS uses X-BUSTER to eliminate them. The Elsa and the party are rescued by Jr. and the Durandal starship, which was passing by in search for the Emulator. Jr. apprehends the Zohar Emulator from the destroyed Cathedral Ship and explains that he now has the twelve Emulators created by scientist Joachim Mizrahi (MOMO's creator). However, Emulators are only contain a fraction of the power that is housed by the Original Zohar, trapped on Old Miltia. The Zohar Emulators are also named after Jesus's Apostles. Jr. also shows them "Betty". Jr. takes them back to the Kukai Foundation, where the party is introduced to Jr.'s fellow U.R.T.V. unit, Gaignun Kukai. Eventually, the Galaxy Federation places charges on the Kukai Foundation for the destruction of the Woglinde, due to some manipulation by U-TIC officials and insiders. In order to prove innocence and avoid being framed, Shion Uzuki leads a dive into KOS-MOS' Encephalon to find her black box, which will prove that the Gnosis were responsible. In the Encephalon, the party relives childhood memories, including the Miltian Conflict. Shion encounters a mysterious Realian named Febronia, who explains that a time will come where KOS-MOS will encounter the wave existence U-DO, and in the near future, Shion will free her sisters, Cecily and Cathe. Febronia also states that all factions involved must travel to Old Miltia. U-TIC realizes that their plot to distract Kukai and Miltia in order to apprehend MOMO has failed, so they dispatch Jr.'s brother and fellow U.R.T.V. unit, Albedo Piazzolla, to formulate his own strategy. Albedo decides to activate the Song of Nephilim, which generates a Gnosis attack around the Kukai Foundation. In the confusion surrounding the attack, Albedo kidnaps MOMO and brings her to the Song of Nephilim. Once at the Song, Albedo intimidates MOMO, hoping for her to faint so he can easily get the Y-Data, a mysterious amount of data placed into MOMO's mind by Joachim Mizrahi, MOMO's creator. At the Song, he murders all of his Kirschwassers and tosses them in his chambers. MOMO finds him sitting comfortably on his "throne" of a beheaded kneeling naked woman statue with a sword in its neck, cradling the corpse of a slain Kirschwasser in his hands, before he snaps her arms and tosses her aside. To intimidate MOMO, he uses a small knife to saw off his own arm (edited from the North American version and made to look as if he rips it off), which he then regenerates. He then decapitates himself, lets his severed head taunt MOMO, and finally crushes his head underneath one foot before regenerating that too. Albedo is greatly amused by the fact that MOMO wants Jr., or Rubedo, to come and save her. Once MOMO lost consciousness, Albedo began to absorb her mind, learning every thought and memory that MOMO ever had. He continues to absorb her mind until he is interrupted by Jr. and his group. Shion and the party go to the Song and defeat Albedo. Before escaping, Albedo successfully searches MOMO for the Y-Data. Afterward, Blue Testament appears and demands that the party travel to Old Miltia. The Song deactivates, and the Gnosis attack is thwarted. However, Albedo has one last goal to accomplish; he summons Proto Merkabah, the space station created by Joachim Mizrahi, in an attempt to destroy Second Miltia and the Kukai Foundation. Albedo methodically destroys the Federation fleet in the region, and prepares to fire on Second Miltia. This does not follow the plans of U-TIC, but the Blue Testament (now revealed as Virgil) decides to leave him be. Inside Proto Merkabah, the party encounters Albedo, who summons a Gnosis called Sophie Peithos (a mistranslation of "Sophia Pistis". Pistis Sophia is an important Gnostic text revealing the complex structures and hierarchies of heaven familiar in Gnostic teachings. It translates to "the faith of Sophia") to "test" the party and give him time to escape. Albedo sets Merkabah on a collision course with Second Miltia, which the party stops by breaking the space station into thousands of pieces. However, during re-entry, the Elsa's heat shield begins to disintegrate; KOS-MOS briefly morphs into a powerful being to prevent the Elsa from being destroyed. Meanwhile, Albedo discovers that the Y-Data is protected; he tells U-TIC that MOMO will have to connect to the U.M.N. for the data to work. While these events are transpiring, Wilhelm stares at his Compass of Order and Chaos, understanding that his plans are going in full motion. Gameplay Battle system The player controls a party of up to three characters, one of which represents the group on the map screen. Players progress the story by traversing the areas and fighting various enemies and bosses along the way. Enemies are not encountered randomly; they are placed at select locations on each map. When the player touches an enemy, they will enter a battle. Like many RPGs, battles feature turn-based combat, which involves a numeral system that determines health (Hit Points), magic/Ether (Ether Points), and damage (numbers appearing after each attack or healing). Status Effects are common in Xenosaga. Characters gain experience points after each battle; when a character obtains a certain amount of points, they level up. Levels measure a character's statistical power, although there are other ways to increase statistics (see below). However, Xenosaga introduces several concepts into the battle system. When a party member attacks, their "Boost gauge" will increase. When the gauge increases by one unit, that character may "Boost", or immediately receive a turn in battle. Each character can hold up to three "boost" commands in one battle. Players can summon attack mechs called A.G.W.S. The character assigned to the summoned A.G.W.S. will board it. Although the A.G.W.S. units generally feature special attacks and higher statistics, they are limited in turns, ammunition, and actions (for example, a character may not heal another when they are inside an A.G.W.S.). This system is similar to the "Gear" battle system from Xenogears. In addition to monetary and experience awards after each battle, characters will obtain Ether, Tech, and Skill points upon completing a battle. Ether points can be spent to obtain new Ether, or magical spells that are unique to each character. Tech points are used to increase stats, such as attack power, Hit Points, and dexterity. Finally, Skill points can be used to obtain special commands, status attack guards, or other features. When attacking an enemy, characters may initiate a string of different attacks. However, the number of attacks that may be used is determined by the amount of Action Points (AP) that the character has stored. Characters obtain AP at the start of their turn, but they can also save up to six unused points. Features The game features no universal world map, but the player can travel to several regions of the game through the Encephalon, a location replicator also seen in Episode II and Episode III. Other features include an in-game database, several mini-game "plug-in" systems that can be accessed from Shion's portable U.M.N. console, and an e-mail system that allows players to make playful decisions that have little significance to the main plot. Episode I includes a treasure hunt sidequest, in which the player may find decoders for fifteen locked doors scattered throughout the game. The doors lead to various treasures and skills. Finally, the game map features a small radar that detects the locations of enemies and allies. Music .]] Episode I's soundtrack was composed by Yasunori Mitsuda and performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The soundtrack for Episode I was the orchestra's most prominent Xenosaga-related project. Episode I featured one battle theme that was used in all fights and bosses except for the final boss. The ending themes of Xenosaga are Pain and Kokoro, both sung by Joanne Hogg. Censorship A scene of Albedo menacing MOMO on the Song of Nephilim was censored. The Japanese version has him snapping a Kirschwasser's arm. In the censored English version, he merely lets go of it. The Japanese version has him whip out a knife and cut his arm and head off, with blood. In the censored English version, he physically tears his arm and head off his body. This was apparently changed because it was too "brutal" for American audiences.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vtkj-7CIeH8 Despite the censorship, the sound of the Kirschwasser's broken arm and Albedo whipping out his knife remain, which can lead to confusion. In another scene, Albedo puts his hand inside MOMO's body.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpksKedDr_c This was censored to Albedo lifting his hand over her.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT9ZJpKdTfE Reception Episode I received praise from critics, earning a generally favorable 83% on Metacritic.http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-2/xenosaga-episode-i-der-wille-zur-macht Most critics enjoyed the well-developed plot, characters, and music. Some argued that the long cutscenes ruined the pacing of the game. The game has about 7 hours of cutscenes. Some boss battles can also take a long time. Although the music was well-received, there are long moments of silence when exploring some dungeons - some players felt it made the dungeons feel hollow, lifeless, boring and empty. Also criticized was the lack of diversity of battle themes. Episode I merely serves as an introduction to the Xenosaga universe, and the cast and story isn't completely developed, with many loose ends. It isn't until Episode II and III that the story is resolved, which were released years after Episode I. Because of this, many players were confused by the plot for a long time, and this hurt the reputation of Xenosaga - many players claimed the story was nonsensical without comprehending the full story. The story of Xenosaga requires full attention and should not be taken casually; if the player zones out, they may miss crucial plot details. Fans who prefer Xenogears over Xenosaga were also disappointed that Xenosaga wasn't Xenogears 2. Reloaded On November 6, 2003, Namco released a special version of Episode I in Japan called Xenosaga Episode I: Reloaded, which featured the English voice-acting and a few special features, including two additional armors which serve as alternate costumes for KOS-MOS (Archetype outfit) and MOMO (Kirschwasser outfit) and a play-back library of all the game's movie scenes. However, this version was not released outside of Japan. The Archetype outfit is found in the Woglinde A.G.W.S. Hangar. The Kirchwasser outfit is found during the Song of Nephilim in the third tower. ''Xenosaga: The Animation'' :Main article: Xenosaga: The Animation A 12-episode anime based on Xenosaga Episode I, titled Xenosaga: The Animation, premiered in Japan on January 5, 2005. The anime itself follows the story of Xenosaga closely, albeit removing several scenes and adding others. Some scenes were entirely re-written for the show's purposes. The pacing has the viewer running through the first ten to fifteen hours of gameplay of Episode I in the first five episodes. Given the nature of the anime, it works best as a supplement to Episode I; some points that the game explained poorly or didn't explain at all are brought to light in the anime. External links * Website (Japanese) * Cutscenes (English) * Cutscenes (Japanese) * Movie version (English) * Movie version (HD) (English) Videos Tech Attack Showcase|Tech Attacks Xenosaga Alle spezielle DVD - Xenosaga I Trailer|Trailer (featuring Kokoro) Xenosaga Alle spezielle DVD - Xenosaga I Story Trailer|Story trailer (featuring Pain) Xenosaga Alle spezielle DVD - Xenosaga I Reloaded Trailer|''Reloaded'' trailer Xenosaga Episode I HD Cutscene 056 - The KOS-MOS Incident - ENGLISH|KOS-MOS Archetype Realian Maintenance|Realian maintenance Virgil the Conductor|Gnosis attack Lieutenant Virgil's Death|KOS-MOS kills Virgil Margulis boss fight|Margulis fights Ziggy and MOMO Inside the Cathedral Ship|Cathedral Ship Personality Reconditioning|Cherenkov's personality reconditioning Betty|Betty Docking at the Kukai Foundation|The Kukai Foundation The Church's Caretaker|Febronia in the church Ye Shall Be As Gods|KOS-MOS in the Encephalon Xenosaga Episode I Escape|Ending Category:Series installments